


Patronage for the insane in love

by dancey94



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Drinking, First Date, First Kiss, M/M, Picnics, Post-Episode: s03e13 The Wrath of the Lamb, Swimming, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-24 07:54:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9712295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dancey94/pseuds/dancey94
Summary: Both men were aware of the date and both acted like it was just another ordinary day.





	

It was a habit. One that Will did not find in any way creepy. A habit that kept him going, counting, and managing his life. After he woke up, he would wash his face, brush his teeth, dress up and go to the kitchen. And before he would even think of having breakfast, Will felt compelled to approach a wall and rip off another sheet from the calendar.

That Wednesday, Will did as usual but frowned at the number on the next sheet. February 14th. The number was red, indicating some sort of a holiday. It took Will a few seconds before he realised it was Valentine’s Day.

His thoughts rushed into many directions, one of which was his old life. Will tried to remember whether and how he celebrated that day with Molly. Before her, he never had. And now… A stray thought run straight into Will’s crotch, making Will shiver and blink. Was he really that desperate? And, what seemed more important at that point, did he want to celebrate Valentine’s Day, now that he lived with Hannibal?

Obviously, they could not afford to go to any expensive restaurant and their general tendency was to avoid crowded places. Will didn’t mind that, as he was the type of a person who enjoyed being alone, isolated. With Hannibal, he rarely had the luxury to truly savour that. Still, Lecter offered as much intimacy and space as he needed.

Neither truly pushed the other but Hannibal was better at managing his life after the fall into the Atlantic Ocean.

That brought Will to a conclusion – Hannibal was not in the kitchen yet. A look at the clock – it was almost nine. Will thought it was impossible for Hannibal to be still asleep but he shrugged his shoulders and opened the fridge. Breakfast was waiting for him there. Just as Will suspected, Hannibal had been awake for some time.

There was also a note on the table. How did he not see that before?

_Bon appetite. I’ve gone shopping. I should be home before noon._

Will tore the piece of paper and threw it away.

After breakfast, he stepped outside the house and lay down on a deck chair. Moments like that, when he had some time for his own and could just bask in the sun without having to worry about anything were precious. Will cherished their small house in the middle of nowhere, yet close enough to a town in case of any emergency. He didn’t speak the language, which, truly didn’t bother him since he preferred not to socialise. Plus, it was constantly warm.

Will applied some lotion and enjoyed the rays of sun on his skin.

 

“Will!”

Will jumped and fell from the deck chair. Hannibal was standing over him with a troubled expression and hands on his hips. It was almost as if a mother was ready to scold her son.

“How long have you been asleep?”

“I don’t know. What time is it?” Will asked as he was standing up.

“After eleven.”

“Then not very long.”

“You risked getting sunburnt.”

“I didn’t risk anything. Just fell asleep. It’s alright. How did the shopping go?”

The men stepped inside and Hannibal led them to the kitchen. There were still some unpacked shopping bags on the table. Hannibal took care of them with Will’s help.

“Would you care for a small trip?”

“Huh? Where?” Will asked, already suspicious.

“To a lake. We could have lunch there. Perhaps, we could swim.”

The image was amazing and had Will thrilled. Relaxing by a lake, listening to the sound of water, having light lunch in the car. It was a beautiful vision but what caught Will’s attention was the swimming part. He would have never thought he would miss physical activity that much. And swimming sounded like a lot of fun. There was only one problem.

“Yeah, we should go. But swimming is not really an option without a swimsuit.”

“Well, I don’t usually approve of anything less than elegant but swimming in the underwear is _some_ sort of a solution.” Hannibal said lightly but with all the honesty he could muster. “And there is also the possibility of skinny-dipping.”

The walls seemed to crumble. Will’s ears started ringing. There was no way Hannibal would suggest that, was there? Yet, he sounded so serious and his face remained composed and calm. Until he couldn’t bear it any longer.

Lecter’s lips curved in a smile and his eyes brightened a little.

“I was joking. Mostly. I bought us each a pair of swim trunks.”

Will nodded and after an hour Hannibal was parking the car by a tree near the lake. It was not very far away from their house and Will wondered how long it would take him to get there on foot.

The men took out a basket from the trunk and it was only then, when Will realised Hannibal had organised a picnic. There was a blanket he laid on the sand by the water, a range of different liquids to drink, some sandwiches, some fruit. Additionally, Hannibal had packed all the necessary utensils and glasses. It wasn’t any less than perfect and that made Will return to his deliberation about Valentine’s Day. Graham tried to find hints that would indicate their outing was indeed a part of a romantic plan. There seemed to be none – no heart-shaped sandwiches, chocolates, flowers or anything. Will concluded that it was better that way.

After they had set everything on the blanket, Will took off his beige shirt and announced that he wanted to have a look around. He walked along the sandy shore, imagining what his life would be like if he hadn’t admitted that he needed Hannibal. There would definitely be no Hannibal in his life. It wouldn’t be so hot. He’d still be with his dogs and wife. Or perhaps she would leave him anyway. Perhaps he would leave her. Their life together was nice and Will liked it that way – simple, not overwhelmingly busy or frustrating. Yet, some days it felt as if it was just a game of play pretend. With Molly, Will could never be truly honest, he could never be fully himself.

Taking a look over his shoulder, Will spotted Hannibal, who, just as himself, had taken his shirt off and was currently standing in the water up to his ankles. Despite the distance between them, Will was able to notice a smile on Hannibal’s face which was a sign that he was happy. They both were. The point of no return was past them and now was the time to build and discover more of their relationship.

Will returned to their spot and collapsed on the blanket while Hannibal went swimming.

The sight of a half-naked man was not new to Will and he’d had plenty of time and occasions to get used to Hannibal’s physique. Still, the view had a surprising effect on him. The lean calves, slim waist, muscular arms and fluid movements made Lecter appear as a ballet dancer. He was a leaf carried by the wind.

Suddenly, the air was hotter than before and Will decided to join Hannibal in the water. They didn’t move far from the shore but Will once reached the very centre of the lake. It seemed that no one else was nearby. They had the place all to themselves.

“Will!”

Hannibal called him from the shore and waved at him. Will covered the distance in no time and wiped his body quickly. The lunch was ready.

They ate mostly in silence, listening only to the sounds of nature. Will cherished those moments. Only once did he hear a car somewhere in the distance but it disappeared quickly.

“Why are there no people here? It’s so quiet and peaceful. The water is fine, the sand is clean.”

“There is a rumour about this place.” Hannibal explained and had another bite of his sandwich.

“I hope no one drowned here.”

Hannibal smirked, which drove Will nuts. It was not time for jokes or scary stories because they had just swum in the lake and they were having a nice time altogether. Will appreciated a good old-fashioned scary legend but he would rather hear it once they would be back home, preferably over a glass of whisky.

“Death is very often a mercy.” Hannibal responded.

The words had Will silent. Death was a mercy they had been denied. It was amazing how after such a fall they’d had surprisingly few injuries. Will called them scratches. The main wounds were the ones caused by the Dragon. Instinctively, Will put a palm on his right cheek. He felt the beginning of stubble there and a scar that joined the extensive collection.

“Don’t tell me, not now.”

“Are you going to swim some more?”

“Well, I’m not going to lie but you made it less likely. Why?”

“I brought a bottle of wine but I will not let you swim after having a drink.”

That was thoughtful. Will nodded in acknowledgement and put on his shirt, indicating that he would not be swimming again that afternoon.

Hannibal drank less than Will, slowly sipping the white wine while enjoying delicate brushes of the wind on his face. That was another image he would recreate in his memory palace in a moment of need.

They finished the food and stopped at the half-empty bottle. Hannibal had to drive them back home and Will didn’t want to get drunk yet. He craved the whisky he had stashed next to his bed. Perhaps he would ask Hannibal to join him in another drinking session.

The men got back home early in the evening and it was still rather sunny outside. Hannibal found that change of scenery invigorating. His office in Baltimore had a special place in his heart but Hannibal had already accepted the fact that he would never visit it again. Snow was another weather phenomenon he would miss, yet whatever he had somehow lost on the way, he had memorised and cherished as vividly in his mind as he could. And all of that was worth doing since it meant he could be with his beloved.

They sat on the porch at the back of the house and watched the sunset. The colours were mixing and changing everything in sight. The trees were no longer green, the sky no longer blue. Will’s skin was a darker shade of brown.

Two glasses with bourbon were standing on a small table, while both men paused in their drinking.

“Will you tell me about the rumours now?” Will asked and reached for his glass.

“As you wish.” The smile on Hannibal’s face was warm and inviting. He enjoyed that type of conversation, especially with Will, who was not a passive listener but who would contribute. “It is said that the local religious group used to gather around the lake and have a walk of faith. Coincidently, around the time of their meetings, people would go missing.”

“Some sort of a ritual? Human sacrifice?”

“Maybe. I don’t believe so. I think people simply get scared of things they don’t understand. Perhaps they interrupted a traditional mass and fled because what they saw was beyond their limits.”

Will remained silent and let that sink in. Was anything beyond his limits? What about Hannibal? Could they survive anything, now that they had survived the fight with the Dragon and the fall right after? Were they invincible?

“We could go there again sometime. If you’re not scared.” Hannibal offered.

It took Will a moment. He looked at the glasses on the table. Then, at the sunset that became a very thin arc. The nightfall was approaching and Will had yet a decision to make.

“I’m not scared.” The words were uttered softly and were not really an answer to Hannibal’s last sentence.

 _I’m not scared. Not with you._ That was the intention. And judging by the look on Hannibal’s face, the man was aware of the unspoken.

“You know, it’s Valentine’s Day today.” Will tried hard to make the words sound light.

“Apart from being associated with a tradition of courtly love, Saint Valentine is also the patron of the mentally ill.”

The remark earned a nod from Will and a strong urge to chuckle. Somehow, he had expected Hannibal to act more like the romantic he was. Still, he organised a nice outing with a suspicious rumour for a background. There was a time for relaxing, good food and wine. And Will appreciated watching the sunset with a drink in hand, especially when the drink shared the colour with the sun.

“I think he’s a suitable patron for our relationship.”

“We’re not insane.” Hannibal amended.

“We’re a plague.”

The vision hung between them – the destruction they brought to the world. It was only as Will said it, partly unconsciously, when he realised he truly meant that. They posed a threat to the world.

“May I kiss you, Will?”

Oh. He had not expected that. Or perhaps he was certain it would remain only in his fantasy world.

“Yes.”

Somehow, this one syllable became a hammer with a strength that crushed walls. It was consent which was often lacking in their relationship. Will found it amusing how they had to go as far as to die to bring some … to their silent agreement.

With the deal being sealed, Hannibal reached for Will’s hand and brought it to his lips. That was definitely not included in Will’s fantasy world. Nor was what followed, though it was anticipated at the back of his head.

Hannibal pulled Will’s hand towards himself and made the man stand up from his chair. He led them back inside the house, forgetting all about the glasses on the table. Despite the darkness engulfing the house, Hannibal didn’t turn on any lights. He simply continued walking, hand in hand with Will.

The kiss on the porch was not the end of the bargain, it couldn’t have been. Not for Hannibal. Not when Will acknowledged it was their holiday.

**Author's Note:**

> and then they had sweet passionate sex


End file.
